Successful eradication rate of Helicobacter pylori with empirical antibiotic treatment in pediatric patients from a Tertiary Hospital

Helicobacter pylori infection is a common condition that, in the long term, is associated with the development of peptic ulcer disease and eventually gastric cancer, which could be prevented with timely treatment. Optimally, eradication success should be greater than 90%, but the recommended empirical treatments do not achieve these rates in real-life conditions. Objective: To determine the success rate of first-line empirical eradication treatment against H. pylori in pediatric patients treated in a tertiary hospital. Patients and Method: Retrospective descriptive study in patients with H. pylori infection detected in gastric biopsies and who had received first-line antibiotic treatment during the period 2017-2021. A negative result of an antigen test in stools or new biopsies after >= 1 month after completing treatment was considered a successful eradication. Results: 82 patients with H. pylori infection were identified, of which 53 received eradication treatment. Of these, 26 (49%) were controlled with eradication tests after treatment with a success rate of only 38% (10/26). Conclusions: The eradication rate with the empirical regimens used was lower than expected which highlights the challenge of seeking more effective treatment strategies, including the study of antimicrobial susceptibility. Patient adherence to the follow-up protocol was also low, which should be reinforced in the future to ensure more appropriate clinical management.